Nearly a month remains before Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of Bengali Hindus. Yet for thousands of devotees, the festive spirit has already begun through another sacred tradition — pilgrimage.
Groups of devotees from different parts of the country have set out on journeys to visit temples and offer prayers to Goddess Durga. A glimpse of this journey was seen at the Cox’s Bazar Central Bus Parking Ground, where a group of pilgrims prepared an early-morning meal under the open sky.
Before dawn, they lit clay stoves and began cooking rice, lentils and vegetables. Smoke rose from the makeshift kitchen as group members worked together to prepare their vegetarian meal.
Ujjal Biswas, one of the pilgrims, said they were on a six-day pilgrimage. They had already visited 11 temples and offered prayers to Goddess Durga. Their next destination is Narayanganj, followed by Dhaka, where their pilgrimage will conclude. The temporary kitchen at the parking ground has become a gathering place for the pilgrims. Their simple vegetarian meal seemed to capture the spirit of a pilgrimage that connects faith, community and the anticipation of the coming Durga Puja.
Photo: Hussain Shetu
